Broadway: Almost Famous

Almost Famous is a 1970s daydream with a side of rock and roll on Broadway.

Based on the 2000 coming-of-age film of the same name, Almost Famous tells the story of 15-year-old William Miller, and his efforts to land a cover story for Rolling Stone by touring with the fictitious band Stillwater. The film (and musical) is a semi-autobiographical account of Cameron Crowe’s experience as a teen journalist for Rolling Stone.

Almost Famous had a pre-pandemic out-of-town tryout at the Old Globe in San Diego in 2019 and opened to rave reviews. This was one of my personally most anticipated picks the 2022-2023 season. I was lucky to be able to grab a rush ticket to the show very easily, which turned out to be a pretty decent view.

I have never seen the film the stage adaptation is based on, so I was going into this show semi-blind. I feel like this is a pretty good litmus test for this show, because I’ve seen reviews that say the musical is confusing if you haven’t seen the film or that the musical is a carbon copy of the film, so I really was there to experience what it had to offer and I think going in blind was a good way to do that.

I did know what it was about and I’m a fan of these fictional narrative based around rock and roll bands (think: Daisy Jones), so I know there was a high probability this would be something I would enjoy. It did open to mixed reviews, and I think it really depends on what you were expecting to get out of this show. The only part of the plot that was a little bit confusing is that they never really explain who Lester is, and I suppose if you knew the film, you would already be able to gather that. They do kind of rush to explain a few things in the beginning, but overall I felt like what you needed to know was explained in the opening number of the show.

We can’t talk about Almost Famous without talking about Casey Likes, who plays our young protagonist William Miller. I think Likes captured the youthfulness and eagerness of William perfectly, and his high energy on stage is part of what makes this show so entertaining. He also knocks it out of the park on vocals, including on the act one closer, “Tiny Dancer.” It’s hard to believe this is Likes Broadway Debut, but I definitely think this is only the beginning for him.

Playing opposite of Likes, we have the ethereal Solea Pfeiffer as leading lady Penny Lane. I think Pfeiffer is one of the standout performers of this production, capturing the mystique of “retired groupie” Penny Lane. She makes her highly anticipated Broadway Debut in this production, which was very exciting to see. We get to see Pfeiffer really shine in her vocals, including her solo moment in “Morrocco.” I do wish we got to see more of Pfeiffer’s vocal strength in this production. I don’t think the music of the show catered to her vocal talent as much as it could have, which was a little bit disappointing to see the creative team miss the opportunity. It would have been cool to see Penny Lane have a vocal contrast to the band to emphasize how she separates herself from the groupies and the band.

Anika Larson also gave a standout performance as Elaine Miller, William’s overbearing mother. I love the way she portrayed Elaine’s protectiveness and mothering in a way that was not villainized in the plot. Of course the mom whose a buzzkill is always sort of antagonistic, but the way it was presented in this story was more that she was worried about William, and the band was cool with his mom even when she was distraught. I think it’s rare to see a middle-aged female supporting role who is not villainized or used for comedic relief in some way and I want to highlight that I do think they really gave the actress—in this case, Anika Larson—a chance to shine.

There were times the show felt a little bit cinematic, and it felt like watching a movie play out in real-time. Which, I guess, has provoked the question in my mind: Why did this need a stage adaptation?

I don’t have an answer to that. The performers are amazingly talented and this is not a slight to them in any way, but I feel like I would have liked to see the stage medium used a little bit more creatively.

Overall, I enjoyed the night out at the theatre. I don’t want the questions and small critiques to make it seem like I didn’t. But I do think now that I’ve gotten more into the habit of watching theatre more regularly, I want adaptations to impress me. I want them to stand alone and speak to why we needed this adaptation more than a cash grab or stroking an ego of the creator of the original work. On the same note, I think if we have so many commercial adaptations, it needs to speak to why stage was the right medium for an adaptation. I think enjoying a night out at a show that is an adaptation and being critical of why do we keep making these adaptations that feel like watching people act out a film are two conversations that can coexist.

That being said, if you enjoy stories set in the 70s or stories about rock and roll, definitely check this out if you are in NYC! I think there is definitely an audience for it, and I hope it reaches the audiences that have fallen in love with similar stories like Daisy Jones & the Six. Learn more about the show at almostfamousthemusical.com.